Thursday 14 August 2008 19.01 EDT
First published on Thursday 14 August 2008 19.01 EDT

The number of people admitted to hospital in England with mental illnesses linked to use of illegal drugs has doubled in the past decade, official figures revealed yesterday. The NHS Information Centre said 38,170 adults and children were admitted with drug-related mental and behavioural disorders in 2006-7, an increase of 101% since 1996-97.

Admissions of people under 35 peaked in 2003-4, but there was a continuing surge in mental disorders among middle-aged users. In the 35-44 age group, admissions rose by 259% over the decade to a record 10,941 in 2006-7. Among those aged 45-54, there was a 256% increase to 3,158.

The centre said men were more than twice as likely as women to be admitted to hospital for mental and behavioural problems linked to drug use. Men also accounted for 79% of the 1,573 deaths from illicit drug use in England and Wales in 2006.

Tim Straughan, the centre's chief executive, said: "This bulletin paints a picture of wide discrepancy between the number of men who take, are treated for, or even die from drug use compared to the number of women.

"The fact more than 1,500 people died due to drug use in 2006 is extremely saddening in itself, but the fact so many of these deaths are male raises many questions about gender and drug misuse."

In 2006-7, 13.2% of men in England and Wales reported taking drugs during the last year, compared with 6.9% of women.

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity Sane, said: "More than twice as many young men were admitted as young women, which suggests men may be more likely to self-medicate with illicit drugs to manage their emotional distress. Many of these admissions may be related to other, pre-existing mental health problems, such as depression or feelings of alienation, for which we need much earlier intervention and support when families express concerns."

Admissions for treatment of drug poisoning in England also rose from 7,057 in 1996-7 to a record 10,047 in 2006-7. Men accounted for 55% of these cases.

The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System said there were 195,464 people in contact with structured drug treatment services in 2006-7, compared with about 85,000 in 1998-9. A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "More people than ever before are getting into and staying in treatment, drug-related deaths are down and the level of drug-fuelled crime has fallen substantially.

"The high-quality drug treatment that is being provided is the most effective way of reducing illegal drug misuse, improving the physical and mental health of drug users, as well as reducing the harm they cause to themselves and society."

The percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who admitted using cocaine in the past year rose to over 6% for the first time.

Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: "Clearly too few people who misuse drugs are being identified and admitted to drug rehabilitation courses early on, which has contributed to this worrying rise in admissions to hospitals. As drugs get stronger, the harm they are doing to young people's mental health is increasing. The government needs to wake up to the scale of the problem."